Hart told Kerry Washington he was envious people like Sean Patrick Thomas, Derek Luke, and Columbus Short.

Kevin Hart revealed that he used to compare his career trajectory to that of actors such as Sean Patrick Thomas and Derek Luke when seeking opportunities as a Black actor.

During a conversation with Kerry Washington on his Gold Minds podcast, Hart reflected on struggling to find roles and how he would use others as benchmarks for success. Washington, 47, reflected on her first major role in Save the Last Dance, and 45-year-old Hart couldn’t help but remember how he wanted to have the same career as Thomas, who actually starred in the 2001 dance film.

According to Hart, he would always ask himself what his career would be like if he had the same parts as Thomas, Luke, or Columbus Short, who were leading the charge for young Black men in Hollywood representing the culture at the time.

“You got to think like in the earlier days, you know, Sean Patrick Thomas, Derek Luke, Columbus Short, these were the guys that were like really just at the forefront of like, you know, our culture and the new momentum or the new wave of who was coming,” he said. “And as a comedian I wasn’t getting the opportunity to audition, or I wasn’t getting in front of the right people.”

He added, “I was like, ‘Oh my God, man if I could only have the chances, or if I could only do’—and I was just envious. You bring up Save the Last Dance, it just makes me think of that time and how amazing, you know, Sean—who I know, who I’ve met, and throughout the years developed a great relationship with—but during that time I was like, ‘Man these movies are so great and it’s like how, how, how, when?’ … But then it becomes possible.”

Hart ended up carving his own road as a world-famous comedian and actor with film series like Think Like a Man and Jumanji under his belt. He’s become so successful that he’s now at a point where people are asking him who he thinks could play him in a biopic. Hart recently admitted he believes Kai Cenat could fill that role and be “phenomenal” at it.

“I mean…when we get to that point, it’s definitely a great conversation. I would say in a perfect world, in the future, because I got a feeling that they will be able to knock it out the park because of they way they’ll be…Kai Cenat,” he said. “Cut the dreads and stuff off I think he can get in there and pull out a phenomenal performance.”